Kindling fire was one of the turning points of human evolution, right up there with learning how to put it out. Fire was vitally important to early man because it gave warmth for heating and cooking, light for protection and homework, and charcoal for cave paintings and barbecues.

According to the Ancient Greeks, Prometheus was the man who first stole fire from the gods. Mankind was then punished for this theft by being sent woman for the first time in the shape of Pandora. This says something very significant about either fire or women or the Ancient Greeks.

One of the secret attractions of cigarettes is the fact that they burn. They wouldn't be half so attractive if you had to take nicotine via a suppository. The fact that you have to light up is in itself comforting, because you are in effect standing round your own one-person campfire. Pipes have an even more comforting effect because it's like building your own bonfire and setting light to it.

Firefighters have an almost mythic status in society because they tackle the uncontrolled forces of nature. It's the same with lifeboat crews. If traffic wardens also dealt with tornadoes and flooding, they might enhance their status.

Fire often gets a bad press, possibly because it can destroy cities in one big night out. On the other hand, there's nothing nicer than sitting round a roaring log fire on a cold winter's night. The trick is to make sure the latter doesn't become the former. Fire is like a naughty child: quite cute to begin with, but liable to get out of hand if not kept well under control.

It is possible to burn without a flame. For example, you can burn with desire. You can also burn with a fever. These two are remarkably similar in that both make you feel very hot and slightly delirious. The cure for both is bed and complete rest/passion.

Watching flames dance is an elemental and deeply moving experience, and it's no wonder many aboriginal tribes such as the Comanche and the 2nd Faringdon Brownies like to perform sacred rituals around them. Fire can have a purging, cathartic effect, except for a firing squad, which is more permanent and less life-enhancing.